Powerbrokers consider whether cash can reduce murders in Louisville

Louisville business leader David Jones Sr. released a list of the 69 members of a private group whose aim he said is to seek community improvements such as education and public safety.
Courier Journal

Louisville business leader David Jones Sr. released a list of 69 individuals involved in a private group called Steering Committee for Action on Louisville's Agenda. (Photo: Photo Illustration by Sam Upshaw & Scott Utterback)

A group of executives assembled by Humana co-founder David Jones Sr. could help pay for city initiatives aimed at curbing the homicide rate, a key member said.

"There has been an interest among many leaders in that room about where the city can improve as it relates to crime," said Jennifer Hancock, president and CEO of Volunteers of America.

She said the Steering Committee for Action on Louisville's Agenda, or SCALA, has been meeting with city officials for months to better understand the city's violence intervention strategies. Hancock is co-chair of a subcommittee on public safety for the group, which includes roughly 70 business, faith and nonprofit leaders from across the city.

"If there are funding shortfalls because of grants or government support, is this a group that could come forward with resources that could further some of these interventions," Hancock said.

"I want to make it clear to this group that if we're talking about public safety we're talking about a comprehensive approach," Abdur-Rahmann said. "That means engaging youth, community building and connecting people with resources of support. But we're not looking at an incarceration model."

Cure Violence, a program started in Chicago, has people work as "violence interrupters" to de-escalate neighborhood tensions before they turn into clashes. In Louisville, the Metro Council allocated about $550,000 last year to hire about a dozen people — mostly reformed drug dealers, gang members and convicted felons with street credibility — to go into high-crime areas to help calm tensions.

Abdur-Rahmann said he hopes steering committee members will see value in what safe neighborhoods and its community partners are doing. He said part of his job is to rally support among philanthropic groups and business leaders.

"If folks are willing to cut a check and support this work that would be great," he said.

Jones said he created the steering committee to tackle urgent community problems such as crime, airport service and public education. But it has been criticized as secretive because its existence wasn't even known until Insider Louisville, an online news publication, reported it.

So far the group has produced a $50,000 report that calls for radical changes to how Jefferson County Public Schools is governed. Initially, there were no JCPS officials among the steering committee's members, but an invitation was extended to Marty Pollio after he was named the district's superintendent.

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Reno-Weber, who previously served in the mayor's office, told Courier Journal in a statement that she has, "been very vocal about including more voices in the group."

"I have found the entire committee to be open to learning about the work of nonprofits, community groups and government to address public safety from many different angles," she said.

She added that while the subcommittee on public safety's initial focus is on homicides, it also has discussed ways to combat the opioid crisis. Local and federal officials have said the illegal drug trade is an engine of Louisville's murder rate.

Hancock said that the steering committee is still in its infancy and that it is made up of leaders who sincerely want to help Louisville. But she said Volunteers of America believes in transparency and is open to a conversation about SCALA being more inclusive.

"This will give us an opportunity to have that discussion because certainly the intent was never to be exclusive as much as getting people who expressed concern or have a point of view on these topics," Hancock said.

Reporter Grace Schneider contributed to this story.Reporter Phillip M. Bailey can be reached at 502-582-4475 or 502-582-4475. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: www.courier-journal.com/philb.